What Are The Causes Of Earthquakes Around The World Essay

Earthquakes around the World

An earthquake is the vibration or shaking of the earth’s crust due to the grinding of the ‘plates’ that make up the earth. The grinding of the plates creates energy and the release of this energy can create seismic waves that result in earthquakes. The majority of earthquakes occur along plate boundaries, but they can occur in other places. Tens of thousands of earthquakes occur per year, but only a percentage can be felt and even less cause destruction. But if the earthquake is destructive, a country that is not prepared will suffer, whether by property destruction, human deaths and injuries, and tsunamis that can occur as a result of earthquakes. However, a country that is prepared can suffer little property damage and no to little human casualties. The destructive force of earthquakes are contrasted by countries that have been hit from these quakes, such as Haiti, Costa Rica and Japan.

The earthquake that happened In Haiti was due to the constant jostle and grind of the Caribbean and North American plate, the two plates that Haiti lies on. These two plates were locked for almost 250 years, and all the stress was released resulting in a 7.0 Magnitude earthquake. Japan lies on the Ring of Fire where 90% of volcanoes and earthquakes happen due to the plate movement. Japan lies on the North American and Pacific plate, and when the Pacific plate went under the north american plate and a 9 magnitude earthquake occured and along with it a tsunami that hit the coast of Japan. Finally in Costa Rica, the 7.6 quake occurred 25 miles below the surface when the Cocos plate slid underneath the Caribbean plate causing the tremor. Although the force of some earthquakes are similar, the devastation is not always the